Barney Kessel - 1956 - To Swing or Not to Swing

Tracklist: 

1. "Begin the Blues" - 4:29

2. "Louisiana" (J. C. Johnson, Andy Razaf, Bob Schafer) - 3:57

3. "Happy Feeling" - 3:58

4. "Embraceable You" (George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin) - 3:24

4. "Wail Street" - 4:25

5. "Back Home Again in Indiana" (James F. Hanley, Ballard MacDonald) - 3:13

6. "Moten Swing" (Bennie Moten, Buster Moten) - 3:58

7. "Midnight Sun" (Sonny Burke, Lionel Hampton) - 3:10

8. "Contemporary Blues" - 4:09

9. "Don't Blame Me" (Jimmy McHugh, Dorothy Fields) - 2:58

10. "Twelfth Street Rag" (Euday L. Bowman) - 2:55

Recorded at Contemporary's studio in Los Angeles on March 28, 1955 (tracks 3, 5 & 9) and July 26, 1955 (tracks 1, 2, 4, 6–8, 10 & 11).

Barney Kessel - guitar

Harry Edison - trumpet (tracks 2, 3 & 6–10)

Georgie Auld (tracks 2, 6, 7 & 12), Bill Perkins (tracks 3, 5 & 9) - tenor saxophone

Jimmy Rowles - piano

Al Hendrickson - guitar

Red Mitchell - bass

Irv Cottler (tracks 1, 2, 4, 6–8, 10 & 11), Shelly Manne (tracks 3, 5 & 9) - drums